Cooking like it's take-out--Mexican part 3

Where I come from, there is this wonderful creation called simple "chile." For most of the world, I'm sure you're imagining beans, meat, chili powder. This is not what I'm referring to. Chili is a wonderful concoction that is part salsa part hot sauce. For YEARS, I've stockpiled this wonderful stuff from the little old lady who makes breakfast burritos at the gas station. I finally decided that tonight was the night I'll attempt to make it myself.

Here's how I did it.

4 dried pasilla chilies
4 dried new mexico chilies
2 chipotles in adobo
3 TB Cider vinegar
Juice from 2 limes (about 4 TB)
1/2 an onion
1/4 cilantro
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 cloves of garlic
boiling water.

Place dried chilies in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow them to sit for about 10 minutes while they soften. After they're softened, remove the tops and seeds (you can do this before you soften them if you choose). Save the water cause you'll want to use a little bit of it. Place the ingredients with about 1/2 cup of the "chili water." Puree everything until it's the desired consistency. If you find you need more liquid, use a little more chili water. This definitely packs a kick, but it's wonderful. I used it with my Barbacoa burritos, and I'm saving the leftovers for Pozole on Monday. It's so good, I could eat it with a spoon!

Cooking like it's take-out--Mexican part 2

Cilantro Rice

I confess, Chipotle is not one of my favorite restaurants, but I find the idea of cilantro rice very appealing so I decided to make some to go with our delicious barbacoa.

Here's how you do it.

1 cup long grain rice
2 cups chicken stock (or 2 cups of water with 1 chicken boullion cube)
1/4 chopped cilantro
2TB oil or 2TB butter

In a skillet heat the oil and add the rice. Toast the rice to a lovely golden brown. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover skillet and turn heat down to simmer. Allow it to simmer away for 15-20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and add the cilantro. Enjoy.

Cooking like it's take-out--Mexican

I love eating out. It's one of my favorite things, but when you have five kiddos, it's a rare treat. So, my mission has been to learn how to make some of my favorite things at home. Today, I worked on Barbacoa. What's that you say? It's beef slow cooked in wonderful spices until it's falling apart. You shred it up and enjoy. It's a step up from just plain ole' "shredded beef." I added to it some cilantro rice inspired by Chipotle and some refried beans from scratch. I also made some homemade chili/hot sauce. Yes, my kitchen looks like a bomb went off, but here's how I did it.

Barbacoa

1 boneless chuck roast (you can use bone in or a tri-tip or a brisket). (it was 3-4 lbs)
1TB ground mexican oregono
1TB cumin
2TB salt
1TB pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2-4 TB of vegetable oil

2 chipotle in adobo peppers
Juice from 3 limes
1 cube of beef boullion
4 cups of water
1/3 cup cider vinegar
6 cloves of garlic
1 white onion, chopped
2 bay leaves

Combine all the dry spices to make a rub. Rub all over both sides of the meat. Heat oil in a large saucepan/dutch oven. Brown both sides of the meat. REmove meat. Add onions and garlic and sautee...add water and deglaze the pan (get all the brown bits up off the bottom. Brown=flavor. Add the boullion cube, vinegar, lime juice, bay leaves and meat back into the pan. Skim off any foam that might surface. Place a lid and simmer until meat is falling apart--about 4 hours. I'm betting that this would be awesome as a slow cooker meal as well.

Unparenting.

Unparenting. I have no idea if this idea really exists or if I just thought it up. It came to mind when I was hearing about "unschooling." A concept where children who are homeschooled more or less determine the course of study themselves. I thought, hmmm, I wonder about "unparenting?" Is there such a thing?

When I was a first time mom, I had a whole list of things I wanted my children to accomplish. I also had a plan of "how" I was going to accomplish my goals. Potty training would be when I wanted, they would eat on MY schedule, they'd sleep, they'd speak. They'd be perfectly well behaved. My discipline method was well thought out--I had a plan.

My plan worked. For awhile. I don't know many mothers of multiples who don't exist on some form of routine. Even the most unscheduled mom in the world seems to step up her game with twins. Maybe that's just my perception, but nonetheless, the twins had a routine that we lived by. Boyd came along, and he fit right in with the program.

Sure the routine was great, and it also sucked. Seven o'clock in the evening rolled around, and we had to be home to put the kids in bed. Truth be told, we really needed to be home by 5:30 for the "routine." What little social life we had, died a miserable death. After Tessa was born, the routine started to shift and morph. Actually, a lot of things became looser, more laid back. I couldn't expend the energy anymore...I let them start to run wild.

This isn't to say that we don't follow a routine. We get up around 8. We go to bed around 8, but we aren't locked in stone anymore. Dinner doesn't "have" to be at 5:30. There's ebb and flow in our lives. Is my day any more chaotic? Not really. In fact, I'm more relaxed because I don't feel the pressure of the "checklist" I keep in the back of my mind.

I have a new plan. It's called, "loosen up already." My 3 year old still isn't potty trained, but he takes off his diaper and goes pee. I think the rest of it will fall in line. Yeah, maybe I should make him sit on the potty every 30 minutes, and yeah, maybe I should have him strip naked until he stops having accidents, but I prefer to wait and see if he does it on his own. I think we can take another month or two to see if he does it.

Tess still doesn't sleep. Maybe I should let her cry it out and sleep train her, but I'm kind of waiting to see if she figures it out on her own. Maybe I'm shooting myself in the foot. Maybe I'm just letting my last baby be a baby a little while longer. Or, maybe I'm too sleep deprived to go through the effort of sleep training.

I think I've earned the right to unparent for a little bit. We'll see where it gets us.

Preschoolers no more.

Preschool is officially over for my little girls. They're now getting ready to start Kindergarten. Waaah, my babies are leaving me!

I spent the majority of this past school year debating whether or not to start them. Their birthdays fall at the end of October, so we weren't sure whether or not they'd start school this year or the next. After a lot of hemming and hawing, we finally agreed on registering them for the big K. I'm still not sure if it's the right choice, but it's the choice we made. I think it's the right one for us. Maybe. I don't know.

I'm so sad and happy all at the same time. I'm happy because, let's face it, that's two less kids in the house. I'm sad because they're going to be out of the house.

Motherhood is full of these bittersweet moments.

For now though, we will enjoy our blessed last summer before "school" begins. Our life will change all over again this fall. Things are never going to be the same again. Never again, will we be able to plan our family vacations during October, or spend all day in our pajamas on a Wednesday (during the school year).

You know, maybe homeschooling isn't off the table just yet :)